IDEA World Fitness Convention & BlogFest: Day Two

Day Two of the IDEA World Fitness Convention and Fitness BlogFest began with an informative session led by Cassey Ho of Blogilates, a total YouTube rock star and the creator of POP Pilates.

(My whole outfit above is Reebok and you better believe I sported my beloved Skyscapes for any session that didn’t require a workout!)

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Cassey a number of times and knew she’d knock her presentation out of the park. Her enthusiasm is unparalleled and she took us through a great presentation all about making money from blogging and best practices.

(I snapped the above photo of Cassey demoing POP Pilates at the expo on Thursday!)

I took a bunch of notes from her session since I know a lot of you guys out there have blogs or may be interested in blogging, so I will be sure to share them soon! The same goes for a lot of the IDEA sessions I attended, actually! My day-by-day recaps will just scratch the surface on some of the sessions and I’m planning to roll out more detailed summaries of a handful of the more pertinent sessions in the following week or two.

After Cassey’s session, there was a buzz in the room as the 150 BlogFest attendees awaited the arrival of the keynote speaker.

Jillian gave a speech that had me vigorously jotting down notes, quotes and tidbits I hope to remember and apply to my life. (I’ll be sure to share more soon!) I did not talk to one person the entire weekend who didn’t agree that Jillian’s speech was nothing short of phenomenal. She was hilarious (f-bombs and all!) and her speech oozed with spunk, compassion, intelligence and a genuine desire to improve the lives of others.

“Fitness isn’t about building a better body. It’s about building a better life.”

Heck yes, Jillian!!!

The next BlogFest sessions focused more on the business side of blogging and touched on legal must-dos, financial tips and ways to partner with brands though various channels.

For my blogging friends out there, here’s a list of items you are allowed to deduct from your taxes since I know that can be confusing and a bit of a gray area for many:

Taxes and Licenses: County or City Taxes, Personal Property Taxes, Licensing Costs

Depreciation Expense

Katy’s session was very informative and I highly recommend checking out her blog, as she is planning to share her presentation in its entirety soon!

Since “How do you make money from blogging?” is a question I hear quite frequently, below you will find an image of a slide Katy shared that offers great sources for growing your blog’s profitability:

And in case you’re looking for a way to figure out how to set your rates, here’s a formula Katy provided to give you a good benchmark:

By the time Katy’s presentation wrapped up, we were ready to walk around and spent the break between sessions at the expo once again.

(Big congrats to Cassey on the launch of her new BodyPOP line! The apparel is adorable and the material feels fantastic.)

I went to the expo every single day and still don’t feel like I saw everything!

Gina and I made sure to say hi to our friends at Reebok and spend some time at their booth. Naturally we browsed around and I was pretty excited when I found my favorite ZQuick shoes in a new light teal color!

Love them! Once I wear out my coral ZQuicks, you better believe I’ll be buying the teal or the gray and purple pair to replace them. They’re quickly become my go-to running shoe (I wore them during my back-to-back 5K + 10K races in June and thought they were supportive, comfortable and cute!)

Our time at the expo passed fast and soon I was rushing off to the BlogFest conference room to get ready for my panel with Gina and Monica.

Katy served as our moderator and did a great job of asking questions and moving things along before opening it up to the audience for a Q&A session at the end. I was nervous but the question and answer format made it a little less nerve-wracking. I really tried my best to give open and honest answers to all of the questions and hope attendees found it worthwhile!

After our panel, I was more than ready to stretch it out. My legs felt awfully sore from Thursday’s BodyPump class, so Tara Stiles’ yoga session sounded fantastic to me.

I first heard of Tara Stiles a few years ago through her collaboration with Reebok. (I probably should’ve thanked her for the yoga sports bras she helped create because they’re amazing.) I’ve been following her on Instagram for a while now and heard fabulous things about her Strala classes, a form of non-traditional yoga that was created, in part, to make yoga more accessible.

Her workout didn’t use traditional Sanskrit names for yoga positions and the whole vibe of the practice she took us through was extremely lighthearted and almost goofy! Tara giggled a lot and was all-around adorable as she enthusiastically coached us through her class. She also graciously waited around afterward to take photos and chat with anyone who wanted to meet her.

Following yoga, a group of us came back to my room and spent the rest of the night in our pajamas enjoying room service and relaxing until we could barely keep our eyes open anymore. It was the perfect way to unwind after a long day at IDEAWorld!

Gemvara Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Alana K., the winner of the Gemvara giveaway! Alana was emailed right before this blog post was published. Thanks to all who entered the giveaway!

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About Julie

My name is Julie and I am a full-time blogger, new mama, fitness enthusiast (certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor) and food fanatic (mostly healthy... but also not-so-healthy) living in North Carolina with my husband, dog and baby boy. Thank you for visiting Peanut Butter Fingers! I hope you enjoy little glimpses into my life and have fun trying the sweaty workouts I frequently share and making some of my favorite recipes along the way!

I wrap my hair around the outside of a curling iron and leave the ends out. When I wrap them around the curling iron, I just make sure to always wrap away from my face! I’ve been meaning to do a tutorial and should really get on that…

Didn’t you just love Strala yoga? I’ve taken a Strala STRONG yoga class at Sports Club LA in San Francisco and it was so different than any other yoga format. I loved it and didn’t want it to end. Would love to hear more about your panel at the conference. Keep up with the recaps!

Oh goodness, truly looks like y’all had a blast. I look forward to hearing more about your trip. I am also a fitness blogger in NC and have been reading your blog from the beginning. I would greatly appreciate any unique tips you have for bloggers trying to build their blog.

I had no idea the convention had so many blog oriented presentations. I guess I thought it was more fitness minded than anything. It looks like it was all really informative and so much fun. I will definitely be checking out Katy’s blog for her presentation, thanks for sharing!

Those ZQuick shoes look amazing! I would definitely would have to buy both pairs and wear them somehow. I just wouldn’t be able to make up my mind!
I have always had a love/hate relationshop with Yoga but the variation you talk about that Tara Stiles teaches sounds like a lot of fun! Will definitely look more into it.

I love the blogfest recap, thank you. I finally started my own blog and while i have a ways to go, I appreciate all the advice you have. You are definitely one of my favorite bloggers… maybe I will meet you at Ideafit next year.

I really wish I could have gone especially for the BlogFest portion. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong with ads, but I don’t seem to be getting an clicks. I’m going to try Lijit. I’ve heard others say good things about it.

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Hi! I’m Julie and I am a new mom, personal trainer and blogger living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Welcome to my blog! Peanut Butter Fingers follows my life and my interests in food, fitness, family, travel and (mostly) healthy living.

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I am not a registered dietitian. My blog is simply a documentation of my life. The views I express are mine alone, based on my own experiences, and should not be taken as medical advice. I DO NOT post everything I eat. Though I am a certified personal trainer, the workouts I post may not be right for you. Please speak with a medical professional before making any changes to your current routine.

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